3D Home Studio Tours

To view other videos like these ones, please check our 3D Tour section or our Youtube Channel!

How to Build the Perfect Garden Studio

Summerwood - the perfect partner for your Home Studio project

If you're planning to use your garden studio for hours of contemplative work or solitude, you'll want it to be just right. Summerwood has a long tradition of delivering backyard home office studios to customers from many corners of the world. We offer so many home studio styles, design choices and options, that the home studio you've been dreaming of is bound to be here.

As your partner in this project, you're always just a call or link away from helpful, professional support. Customers appreciate this. Over the years, more then 1,500 project proud "partners" have even sent pictures of their assembled garden studios and other structures. Learn more about the Summerwood Advantage.

Home Studios - Selecting the Best Style for You and Your Garden

Browse our many styles of home offices above. If you don't see exactly what you want, create it in our home studio Custom Design Centre. It's easy and fun. Customize any of our existing home office studios, or invent your own. You can even send us a drawing of your dream home office studio and we'll work to your specifications, creating your ideal home studio kit.

How you'll use your home office studio and where you want it will affect its design. You'll probably want to maximize sun exposure. If so, consider extra doors and windows. Will you want to install plumbing, vent it, and wire it for electricity? A bathroom or kitchenette would add greatly to your enjoyment.

Consider insulating the floor, walls and roof if you wish to use it year round. Thermal doors and windows are available to keep the heat out in summer and warmth in during the cold. Want something funky? Stained and leaded glass is also available. And a solid foundation ensures longevity. How will you finish the interior? Drywall or cedar siding? Here are some helpful garden studio tips and ideas based on questions customers like you have asked over the years.

Still not sure? If you're having trouble selecting a home office studio, here's a tip. Involve our designers right now! They design backyard studio kits every day and know what questions you need answered. Let them help you decide on style and features.

The A - Z on our Garden Studio Kits (D is for Delivery)

Summerwood pre-cut garden studios and pre-assembled garden studios are complete and fully thought out for you. All required wood and hardware is included, as are the finished doors and windows. All backyard studio pieces are carefully measured and precision cut. Your garden studio kit also has a general assembly video and thorough instruction manual to make the assembly process easy to understand. What could be easier?

Here's What Isn't in Your Garden Studio Kit

Labor. Depending on the complexity of your structure and your skill with tools, it'll take anywhere from a day to a few days to assemble your garden studio kit. Fortunately, your backyard studio quote comes with a careful estimate of labor hours.

Roof Shingles. We offer cedar shingles as an extra option for your garden studio kit. Otherwise you'll have to purchase shingles yourself from your local hardware dealer. Your easy-to-follow instructions tell you how many are required for your specific home office studio.

Tools. This list tells you all you'll need for construction tools.

Foundation materials. Summerwood has ideas for this too, read our home studio foundations page.

Finishes. The Canexel garden studio siding option comes finished. But if you choose wooden siding, you'll need to supply your own stain or paint to finish it. Preference in color and appearance is personal, but other garden studio finishing ideas may trigger some thoughts.

Building Your Home Office Studio Kit Yourself

Assembling your garden studio kit is not hard. Summerwood backyard studios can be a fun weekend bonding experience. All sorts of folks - young and old, pro and novice - have put our backyard studios together successfully. Don't worry. Detailed instructions for garden studio kits are listed in order, task by task. That makes it easy to plan the assembly of your home office studio.

Even if you've never built anything complex before it's easy with Summerwood Garden Studio kits. You get access to a simple online garden studio construction video. And if you're still stumped, ask an expert by email, or call the Summerwood customer service line for help, toll-free. There's always someone to help, from the beginning of your project to the very end. You'd be surprised just how many newly converted carpenters we've created over the years.

Prefer To Have a Pro Build Your Studio?

Some people just don't have the time or interest in building their own Summerwood garden studio kit. That's okay. Even if you hire someone, it's still outstanding value. We even know contractors in your area who can build your garden studio kit for you. Your hiring a contractor guide lays it out. One look at your garden studio kit's carefully considered labor estimate and the contractor can quickly quote.

Summerwood Home Office Studios Last Longer

Your backyard studio is a place you'll spend a great deal of your time. It's important you do it right. That's why at Summerwood we only use the finest materials in or building kits.

We make most home office studios from top quality western red cedar. You can also choose maintenance-free backyard studio siding in assorted attractive colors.  Simply put, quality materials provide many more years of quality time in your backyard studio.

Readying a Site for Your New Home Office Studio

Where you situate your garden studio depends on your taste and needs. Is it to be a peaceful retreat and hidden away for privacy? Or a showpiece to incite envy in the neighbors?

What sort of foundation do you want? Patio stones can be economical and adequate but, depending on your needs and budget, the choices are important. For instance, if you're plumbing your home office studio, you'll probably want a concrete foundation, with a slight pitch at the back to encourage easy drainage. Here are other ideas for garden studio foundations.

Home Office Studio Building Permits

Fortunately, most areas don't require building permits for structures under 100 to 110 sq. ft. Check your local permit office just to be sure. See our list of which building permit office (USA only), to contact depending on where you live.

So are you ready to design your garden studio?  Let's dig in.  Your dream home studio kit is just clicks away!